tsunami

/(t)suːˈnɑːmi/

//(t)suːˈnɑːmi// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"tsunami" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tsunami” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,655. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,655
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A very large and destructive wave, generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption; often a series of waves (a wave train).

Corpus desk

Index EN-tsunami · tsunami · English

tsunami · rank #14,655 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,655
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH truce

Nearest frequency peer: truce (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “tsunami”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “tsunami” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for tsunami
PropertyValue
Headwordtsunami
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/(t)suːˈnɑːmi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#14,655
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tsunami”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).tsunamilands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “truce” (#14,654), “tripping” (#14,653), “turmoil” (#14,657). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tsunami” is #14,655. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around tsunami (IPA /(t)suːˈnɑːmi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,655 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for tsunami, with forms such as "stunami", "tsnuami", and "tssunami". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Japanese 津波 (tsunami), from 津 (tsu, “harbour”) + 波 (nami, “wave”). The correct English form is tsunami, spelled T-S-U-N-A-M-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    A very large and destructive wave, generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption; often a series of waves (a wave train).
  2. 2
    A large and generally unstoppable surge.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how tsunami appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. A tsunami struck Japan recently.
  2. A wave simulator in the tank can re-enact tsunamis and northeasters, and imitate wave conditions from midocean.

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 津波 (tsunami), from 津 (tsu, “harbour”) + 波 (nami, “wave”).

Synonyms

seismic sea wavetidal wave

This word in other languages

tsunami(Español)tsunami(Français)Tsunami(Deutsch)tsunami(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • stunami
  • tsnuami
  • tssunami
  • tsuanmi
  • tsunaim
  • tsunammi
  • tsunmai
  • tsunnami
  • ttsunami
  • tusnami

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tsunami - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

stunami2tsnuami2tssunami1tsuanmi2tsunaim2tsunammi1tsunmai2tsunnami1
Edit distance from "tsunami"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tsunami"?
"tsunami" is spelled T-S-U-N-A-M-I. The IPA pronunciation is /(t)suːˈnɑːmi/.
What does "tsunami" mean?
As a noun, "tsunami" means: A very large and destructive wave, generally caused by a tremendous disturbance in the ocean, such as an undersea earthquake or volcanic eruption; often a series of waves (a wave train).
What are common misspellings of "tsunami"?
Common misspellings include "stunami", "tsnuami", "tssunami", "tsuanmi", "tsunaim". The correct spelling is "tsunami".
How do you pronounce "tsunami"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tsunami" is /(t)suːˈnɑːmi/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "tsunami"?
Borrowed from Japanese 津波 (tsunami), from 津 (tsu, “harbour”) + 波 (nami, “wave”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "tsunami", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

turmoil#14,657tyranny#14,659Warwick#14,667spouses#14,638

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

angular10 variantsappendix10 variantsplatoon10 variantsbarking10 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list